A long popular Mississippi State spring event is adding a new twist this year in examining a major period in American history.

"The Civil War in the West" will be the topic Feb. 6 and 7 when the Department of History sponsors the 17th Annual Turning Points in History Forum. For the first time, the public program will include interactive broadcasts linking presentations at the Starkville and Meridian campuses.

As even casual Civil War buffs know, the 19th century national conflict's "West" refers to Union military activities against strategic sections of Confederate territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Most were in Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Forum speakers include historians Anne J. Bailey of Georgia College and State University, John Y. Simon of Southern Illinois University, Craig L. Symonds of the United States Naval Academy, Russell F. Weigley of Temple University, and Steven E. Woodworth of Texas Christian University.

The program begins at 3 p.m. on the 6th with a screening of "The Cause," the opening episode of Ken Burns' much-praised 1991 documentary "The Civil War." After the 90-minute film has concluded in the Colvard Union small auditorium, a panel of MSU graduate students will further discuss the subject and Burns' telling of events that propelled America into civil war.

At 7 p.m. that same day, Russell Weigley will launch the forum's lecture sessions with an address in the Simrall Hall auditorium. His remarks, titled "The Civil War as Fought in the West: Was It Different?" will be broadcast simultaneously to the MSU-Meridian Auditorium.

At 10 a.m. on the 7th, Craig Symonds will speak at the Simrall auditorium while Steven Woodworth delivers his remarks at the Meridian auditorium. Symonds' topic is "The Confederate Military Effort in the West"; Woodworth's topic, "Political Leaders and Their Impact on the Military Effort in the West."

The respective 2 p.m. sessions in the same locations will find John Simon in Starkville and Anne Bailey in Meridian. Simon's topic, "The Union Military Effort in the West"; Bailey's, "The Role of the Trans-Mississippi Region on the Military Effort in the West."

The forum concludes at 7:30 p.m. with an interactive link to Meridian originating from Simrall auditorium and featuring a roundtable discussion by all the visiting historians. The topic: "The Significance of the Western Theater in the Civil War."

Joining the history department in sponsoring the 2001 Turning Points forum are the Mississippi Humanities Council, offices of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at MSU-Starkville, and the Office of the Dean at MSU-Meridian.

In addition to their individual teaching responsibilities, all the speakers have gained national reputations for their research and writing achievements. Specifically:

—Bailey is national co-editor of "Great Campaigns of the Civil War, a series published by the University of Nebraska Press. Her latest book is "The Chessboard of War: Sherman and Hood in the Autumn Campaigns of 1864," a 2000 History Book Club selection.

—Simon is editor of a 24-volume collection of the papers of Ulysses S. Grant, commanding general of the Union armies. He is founder of the Association for Documentary Editing and is considered the dean of American documentary editors.

—Symonds is the author of eight books, including "Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan." He also has authored four historical atlases, among them "A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War" and the "Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy."

—Weigley holds the rank of Distinguished University Professor at Temple's Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy. A widely recognized authority on both historical and contemporary military subjects, he most recently authored "A Great Civil War: A Military and Political History, 1861-1865."

—Woodworth most recently had published "Jefferson Davis and his Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West," a 1990 Fletcher Pratt Award winner and History Book Club main selection.

For more information on the forum, telephone Dr. John F. Marszalek at 325-3604.

Fought in the West: Was It Different?" will be broadcast simultaneously to the MSU-Meridian Auditorium.

At 10 a.m. on the 7th, Craig Symonds will speak at the Simrall auditorium while Steven Woodworth delivers his remarks at the Meridian auditorium. Symonds' topic is "The Confederate Military Effort in the West"; Woodworth's topic, "Political Leaders and Their Impact on the Military Effort in the West."

The respective 2 p.m. sessions in the same locations will find John Simon in Starkville and Anne Bailey in Meridian. Simon's topic, "The Union Military Effort in the West" Bailey's, "The Role of the Trans-Mississippi Region on the Military Effort in the West."

The forum concludes at 7:30 p.m. with an interactive link to Meridian originating from Simrall auditorium and featuring a roundtable discussion by all the visiting historians. The topic: "The Significance of the Western Theater in the Civil War."

Joining the history department in sponsoring the 2001 Turning Points forum are the Mississippi Humanities Council, offices of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at MSU-Starkville, and the Office of the Dean at MSU-Meridian.

In addition to their individual teaching responsibilities, all the speakers have gained national reputations for their research and writing achievements. Specifically:

—Bailey is national co-editor of "Great Campaigns of the Civil War, a series published by the University of Nebraska Press. Her latest book is "The Chessboard of War: Sherman and Hood in the Autumn Campaigns of 1864," a 2000 History Book Club selection.

—Simon is editor of a 24-volume collection of the papers of Ulysses S. Grant, commanding general of the Union armies. He is founder of the Association for Documentary Editing and is considered the dean of American documentary editors.

—Symonds is the author of eight books, including "Confederate Admiral: The Life and Wars of Franklin Buchanan." He also has authored four historical atlases, among them "A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War" and the "Naval Institute Historical Atlas of the U.S. Navy."

—Weigley holds the rank of Distinguished University Professor at Temple's Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy. A widely recognized authority on both historical and contemporary military subjects, he most recently authored "A Great Civil War: A Military and Political History, 1861-1865."

—Woodworth most recently had published "Jefferson Davis and his Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West," a 1990 Fletcher Pratt Award winner and History Book Club main selection.

For more information on the forum, telephone Dr. John F. Marszalek at 325-3604.